Selective direction-indicator for vehicles.



P. W; VANDERHOFF, suecnve omcnow INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES.

V APPLICATION FlLED FEB. 27.1917- 1,283,37Q. Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

P. W. VANDERHOFF.

suacnve BQRECTION momma FOR vsmcuzs.

AFPLECATIDN TILED 58.2%19; v

- Patented 06529, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

maewm.

lmk lmm K new SELECTIVE DIRECTION-1N DICATOIFR; J3EE- specification of Letters Eatent.

Application filed February 2?. 191?. Eerial No. 151.313.

improvements in signaling devices for vehicles and more particularly for motor ve-- hicles, the primary object ofniyinvent'ion being the provision of a system by means of which the driverof a vehicle may indicate his intention to proceed directly ahead,

to turn to the left, to turn to the right, or to stop, by the selective energization of certain electric lights or equivalentsignals.

In this connection a still fnrtherobject which I have in view is the arrangement or a pair of duplicate signal mechanisms adapted to be mounted one at the front and one at the rear of the vehicle and each including a plurality of lights arranged. in circular formation with respect to each other so that in all instances there are two lights directly opposed to each other, as, for instance, two one above the other or two in. a horizontal line, two inclining upwardly to: ward the left and two inclining upwardly toward the right, and in providing circuits for selectively energizing any pair of lights so that the relative disposition of active lights may indicate the desired signal.

A further object which I have in view is the provision of suitable circuits and a simple switch structure by means of which any desired pair of lights at the front and the corresponding pair of lights at the rear may be simultaneously energized.

With these and other obj dots in View, my invention will be more fully described, illusv trated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings: 7

' Fl ure 1 is a side elevation of a conventiona form of motor vehicle equipped with my signaling system; v I

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing one of the. signals upon a somewhat larger scale;

Fig. is a diagrammatic View at any signaling system clearly showing the circuits and switch; I

Fig. l is an elevation of steering column of the various intent to turn to the of the car, being supported by braclre' of the vehicle showingmy improved switch box mounted thereon, the switch box being in section; and

ig. is an unassenibled perspective view of certain switch elements.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved signaling mechanism in chides a signaling device A. and-a signaling device E adapted to be mounted one at the front and one at the rear p of the vehicle in any suitable manner.

'lihese signaling d vices are identicalin construction and corresponding parts have similar reference numerals.

Each signaling device includes a hub or supporting member 10 and a plurality of radially extendin arms 11, each arm being disposed at an angle of to adjacent arms. this arrangement eight arms are pro--v vided each arm extending in a direction opposite to some other arm. Hereafter in speaking of the arms any arm and that arm extending opposite to it will be termed a pair of arms and signals carried by them will be termed a pair of signals. llach arm at its free end carries the si n'al in the form of a lamp casing inclosing an incandescent light bulb. The casings carried by one pair oi arms are indicated at 12, those carried by another pair at 13, those carried by an.-

other pair at Li, and those carried by an other pair at l5. The various signals given by my system consist in the selective lighting pairs of lamps, the horizontally disposed pair of lainps indicating an intent upon the part of the driver to proceed straight ahead, the vertically disposed lamps indicating an intent to stop, the lamps -lin which one is above and. to the right of the other indicating-an intent to turn to the right and the other pair of lamps in which. one is above and to the left of the other an left. Preferably the wires from the light bulbs are run through the arms or the hub in from injury to exposure.

The forward signal A. may be supported upon the'radiator or other suitable portion of the vehicle by a bracket 16 and preferably the rear signal B is supported upon one end of a pipe 17 which extends longitudinally ts l8 and forming a conduit for the wires leading order to protect them i Man Any suitable form on switch may be provided but I prefer to have a switch. in which a single movable element may close a selected circuit and in which the closing of a further circuit by another element will automatically open the first circuit. Such a switch structure is illustrated in Figs. at and in which .the switch box 20 has a false button! 22 of insulating material which can ries a plurality of spaced spring contacts 23 each of which. is engageable by a coiiper-- alin spring contact supported within the box. The spring contacts and 2t in each insttuire are normally out of engagement with each other and each spring contact 241 is movable into engagement with its contact 23 by pressure exerted against it bythe plunger 25 reciprocally mounted in the top wall of the casing. These plungers25 are preferably lixed to the spring contacts 24 so that they will be held against disengagement from the casing and against turning movement and each plunger in one face is provided with a pair of spaced tangentially extending notches 26.

IL pair of screws 27 are passed through slots 28 :liormed in a slide 30 to hold the slide against the inner face of the cover of the-top ot' the box and leave it free for limited. reciprocathm. One end of this slide projects through the end. of the box and has a. finger lrey 31 by which the slide may be moved; A

helical spring 32 is connected at one end to a depending finger carried by the slide and at its other end. to a stud S4 projecting from the wall. of the box to normally hold the slide in. extended position. The slide at points normally opposite each plunger 25 is formed with projecting portions 35 the lateral edges of whichv are adapted to seat in one or the other of the notches 26 ot' the keys or plungers 25'according to whether such plungers are in extended or depressed position. This slide will therefore serve to frictionally lock the plungers in extended position and also to 'lrictionally look any depressed plunger in its depressed position. The notches in the plungcrs are beveled so that any plunger may be depressed without interference from the slide, the slide being merely moved against the action of its spring until the up per notch of such plunger comes into a line with it when the slide snaps back into place to lock such depressed plunger and. to again esasvo lock the remaining projected plungers. Obviously the depression of any plunger therefore moves the slide in such a manner that it will .releaseany plunger previously locked in depressed position. These plungers and their correlated contacts provide a plurality of switches 36, 37, 38 and 39 which are adapted to control the circuits to the lights 12, 13, 1d and 15 respectively. By means of theseswitches any desired light circuit or combinations of light circuits may be closed improved signaling system. As there shown wires it) lead from one of the binding posts of the battery 19 to the hubs 10.01? the signals and branch wires ll. lead from the ends of these wires through the arms of the signals t-oone contact'of each light socket so that one contact of each light socket is always in electrical connection with one binding post of the battery. A wire 42 leads from the other binding post of the battery and branch wires lead. from itto the plunger-engaging contacts 2-1 of the switches. A wire 44$ connects the free contact of the socket of one 01 the lights 12 of the r'ront signal with the free contact of the corresponding light socket of the rear signal while wires 45 conncct the free contacts of the sockets of the other lights 12 with the wire 14. In like manner wires 16, 4C7 and 4:8 connect the free contacts of the sockets of one of the lights 13, 1 1 and, 15 of the front signal with one of the corresponding lights of the rear signal and wires 49, 50 and 51 connect the free contacts oll the remaining lights 13, 14c, and 15 with the wires 16, 47 and 48 respectively. A wire 52 connects the contact 23 of theswitch 36 with the wire 14. and Wires 53, 54 and 55 connect the corresponding contacts of the switches37, 38 and 39 respectively, with the;

wires 16, 4:7 and 48.

Under these conditions it will be apparent that closing of the switch 36 will close a cir- '-cu1t through all of the signal lights 12 which, being in horizontal alinement with each other, will give a signal both at the front and rear of the vehicle of the drivers its intent to proceed toward the right. l'nlike [ii-bate 'wliiah circuit they coniiml mil. in order that the, signals may b3 effembiva both 21'; My and night the lenses of the lamps are preferably of glass having senile distinctive color such as red, green or blue. It is believed that the manner 0f installing and operating my improved signaling system will )0, readily understood from iih foragcing description. I 01 cmlfse, llfNNEVQT'f, reserve the right to make any changes Within the scope m the appended; claims Witlww; in the slightest departing from the spirit 0:? my invention.

.lfliaving thus (lesm'ibecl. my claim as. new is:

A direction signal time vehicles King a fixes} hub, ,ing malially from the hub, each aim being diamatrically disposed with ether, :1 signal light casing invention, What includ- & plurality 0f arms extendv .le2uliug lmm the szu' arms zhe hub and and supporting means to raspeci; in an mounted on the gondnctovs lewfling from the bulbs free {and Qi each 211911, the iHl J be'ng low and the arms being tubular m1 0;) at Their innmterminals into the hub light bulbs in each w QiBCtllC m? the -cnsings, and eiectfia through the arms info the hill) and hails-ed lay the said arms and the hub,

A. direction signal far vehicles includiing a closed. llGllGW hub, a plurality 0f tubw lm arms amending radially from "the hub and Opening at him J inner ends into the hub, .1 signal light cam mounted on the, outer end, of each arm, porting means engaged with the hub for holding the hub fixed and opening into the hub, and electric conductors cl casing through the tube housed thereby.

- In tesi mpny "\vlleraof l affix my signature. :PAUL "W. VANDERHOFF EL. s.] 

